He Makes Magnus Happy
by writing-to-music
Summary: (Malec) Magnus and Alec's relationship from Chairman Meow's POV. Contains spoilers! Please review!
1. Chairman Meow

**Summary: Malec's relationship from Chairman Meow's point of view.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments, because if I did, Malec would have their own book. Mild spoilers ahead. Some parallels with the books, and a couple moments all my own. Enjoy.** **J**

Chairman Meow liked Magnus, his warlock. He really did. But Chairman did not know what to think about Alec, the strange man with the black hair and weird blue circle eyes that had wormed his way into his warlock's life, much as the cat wormed his way into the warlock's arms when he was asleep.

When Chairman was a kitten, he had been abandoned by his owner and left to die behind a Dumpster. However, he had yowled so loudly and pitifully that the sound was picked up by the sensitive ears of the passing Magnus Bane. Magnus had been thinking about getting a new cat after The Great Catsby died and when this opportunity presented itself, in the form of a tiny grey kitty, Magnus was not going to say no.

He had picked him up by the scruff of his neck and cuddled him (which Chairman liked very much) and brought him home to clean him (which Chairman did not like at all). But that unpleasant part was over soon enough, and Magnus and the cat became companions.

They tolerated each other very well, and it extended to great liking on the days when Magnus fed Chairman twice, absentmindedly. Chairman Meow learned the rules of the apartment, such as don't jump on the counter (when the warlock was around), and don't chew the furniture (which Chairman thought was silly; it was replaced every week anyway). For the most part, Chairman Meow followed these rules to keep his warlock happy. However, there was one rule that was not strictly enforced, but that Chairman always kept to, having learned it the hard way. Never, under any circumstances, was the cat to go into the warlock's sleeping room when there were funny noises coming out of it.

Chairman, bored, had wandered in one night, foolishly ignoring the Noises of Death, and was promptly hit with a sight that was just too terrible for his poor kitten eyes and a stench even worse. He spent the rest of the night in a flurry, even after the noises stopped. He was so worried that something had happened to his warlock! He didn't want to be out on the streets again! Chairman was too tiny to be expected to defend himself against common street cats!

When Magnus had walked out of the room the next morning, unharmed, but with ruffled hair, Chairman had been annoyed about his pointless worrying and eventually learned that it was all right to go in the room after the Noises of Death had stopped. It was perfectly fine, and always quite warm, although the stench of sweat lingered.

Every time this happened, though, there would be a new stranger the next morning, never staying, rarely petting him. Chairman Meow was not quite sure what to make of this. Magnus didn't seem to mind, and so Chairman tolerated the strangers with dignity. Magnus petted him lots anyways. Chairman Meow, cat of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, was not to be cowed by some unfriendly strangers!

Soon after came the night of _that_ party. Chairman Meow had learned the word "party" by then, as parties were quite common while living with Magnus. Chairman's name seemed to be mentioned a lot by Magnus during this one. The cat wasn't entirely sure why. He didn't like parties one bit. They were just too loud for his poor little kitty ears. But when Chairman peeped out of his hiding place (the kitchen cupboard) to check on the progress, he caught sight of a bunch of unusual people leave. All black-clothed and smelling like blood.

Normally Chairman Meow liked the smell of blood, because blood meant meat. But this stuff was nasty. Chairman had soon dismissed the odd bloody people from his mind, and concentrated on huddling far enough back into the cupboard to block out the awful noise, and finally go to sleep.

As Chairman hadn't really given the odd people a second thought, he was amazed several days later when one of them walked into their apartment. Chairman paused cleaning himself and glanced up to form an opinion on the visitor. He could not quite make one out. For a human, he was quite tall, and had black fur on his head like the warlock's. He was, however, much less sparkly, and wore no colors. He was like a tall shadow of the warlock.

As Chairman was contemplating this stranger idly, the person did something odd. He reached down and petted Chairman. He smelled vaguely of another cat. And man, was he ever a good petter! This one knew what he was doing! When he stopped petting Chairman to talk to the warlock, Chairman Meow rubbed against his leg and complained loudly. Magnus picked him up and stroked him. There was more talking, that Chairman did not follow at all. The shadowy one seemed to be stuttering his words – he sounded nothing like Magnus when he talked.

Magnus put Chairman down suddenly (the cat complained) and put his mouth against the shadowy ones'. Chairman watched with mild interest. That was something he'd seen Magnus do many times, but usually it was during one of the parties. The look on the human's face was strange. It was part embarrassed, part very happy. Chairman had never, in his admittedly short kitty life, seen such an odd expression.

He studied the stranger's eyes (Chairman heard Magnus call him Alec.) They were weird. Magnus had normal eyes. Normal colour (gold and green), and normal pupils (slits), just like any self-respecting being. Just like any cats'. Alec's eyes were blue, blue like the sky. Blue like the blue stones in Magnus' rings. The pupils were round, and at this point, slightly dilated. Chairman pondered that, but couldn't get a second look because Alec had stumbled out the door and was gone.

The next time Chairman Meow saw Alec was one Friday night, not too long after the first incident. He and Magnus had stumbled into the apartment with a bang, arms tightly wrapped around each other. They were doing that kissing thing again. Chairman sighed, as knowingly as a cat can. HE knew what was coming next. They would go into Magnus' bedroom and he would have to hide in the cupboard again. That was what always happened with this sort of guest.

So it was to Chairman Meow's great surprise when they broke apart, exchanged a couple words, and Alec left the apartment. Chairman paused, and from what he could hear, he surmised that Alec had just fallen down the stairs. Well. That was unexpected.

He picked his way over to Magnus, who was lying sprawled on the couch, still breathing heavily. Chairman jumped up onto the couch and pawed at Magnus' undone shirt, mewing for attention. Magnus stroked him absently.

"I think this one's different, Meow," Magnus said. "He certainly seems different."

Chairman didn't quite understand the words, but he sensed the feelings emanating from Magnus. It felt like hesitancy. It felt like hope.

As the weeks passed, Chairman Meow began seeing a lot more of Alec. He also began seeing a lot more of his black-clad, bloody-smelling friends. Chairman learned that his earlier conclusion of "shadows" was right, as Magnus called them Shadowhunters. Close enough, Chairman thought.

They always smelled like demon blood, even when they looked clean, and it was especially strong when one night Alec stumbled in covered with the stuff. Chairman yowled, alerting Magnus to Alec's presence, and retreated to a far corner of the living room where he could watch the proceedings without being too close to that infernal smell.

Chairman watched as Magnus tore the black fabric away from Alec's shoulder, revealing a deep, festering cut. They spoke in low voices, Alec gasping for breath, and they sank down to the floor. That blocked Chairman's full view of them, but he could still easily see the blue sparks that flew from Magnus' fingers and made the wound close. It now looked a few days old. Unfortunately for Chairman, the stench of demon blood remained.

Magnus spoke slightly louder, and Chairman caught his words. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Alec laughed shortly. "Not badly. You should see the other guy." He paused. "Well, actually you can't, since they've been technically sent back to the hell dimension, unless you can do a spell to see the hell dimens-mph!"

Magnus had cut him off, placing a hand over his mouth. "You sure you didn't hit your head, sweet pea? You're rambling."

"No, my head feels fine," Alec scowled. "And don't call me sweet pea!"

"Cupcake?"

"No!"

Chairman watched silently, curiously, as they embraced each other, lost in the relief that they were both all right, at least for another day. He wondered what they were saying, and how it was at all possible to look like you were very happy and very sad at the same time.

Chairman Meow knew that the moment he started disliking Alec was the same moment he realized Alec was going to be permanent. It had always been just him and Magnus, since Chairman was a kitten and Magnus had rescued him from that Dumpster, all those months ago. They were fine by themselves, thank you very much. It was just the cat and the man with the cat eyes. However, the cat could not pinpoint a specific memory. He guessed it had been coming on gradually.

Maybe it had been that time when Alec came over and stayed the night. Alec wasn't hurt; he just came over because he wanted to. He and Magnus had made dinner while dancing to some song on the radio. Chairman had been eating his dinner in the kitchen and had had to dodge their swirling footsteps once or twice. He had complained very loudly at that, but they were so wrapped up in each other and the music they hadn't noticed.

Later, Chairman had just finished a very exhausting game of "pounce on the catnip mouse" and was ready to snuggle up into the warlock's bed next to him. The cat had found that his space was taken by the blue-eyed Shadowhunter. Chairman Meow was surprised as there was no smell of sweat, only sleep. Chairman crawled in between them, only to be unconsciously pushed to the end of the bed. Chairman Meow slept there that night. Use the kitty bed Magnus had snapped to him? No! Of course not!

Yes, Chairman Meow was liking Alec less and less with every visit Alec paid. Sometimes he thought it was crazy that he should dislike someone who always fed him and often petted him, but reinforced the thought that Alec was stealing his warlock. He acted incredibly cute to try and remedy this, but only attracted Alec's attention! Yes, Chairman was almost at the end of his metaphorical leash.

Soon after came the day that everything changed. Alec came over, as per usual, but he was carrying a large box that could only be made for... a cat! Chairman nearly hissed. Was it not enough to overshadow him, he now had to bring a replacement cat?! And one that smelled like Alec did, at that!

But Chairman Meow found that this was not the case at all. The box opened to reveal a large Persian cat, who immediately came over to Chairman Meow and sniffed him, seemingly judging him. He introduced himself as Church, the cat of the Institute, but mostly Alec's cat. Ah, that explained the scent. Chairman took an instant liking to Church, and found it his duty to show Church around the apartment. They had so much fun in the bathroom, playing with toilet paper ("...you see, Church, you go close to the dangerous bathtub, but you never touch it!" "Chairman, this is amazing. I have to try this at the Institute,"), that they hardly noticed when the afternoon had passed.

Church went home with Alec that evening, but not before Alec and Magnus had noted how cute they looked playing together, the tiny grey tabby and the giant Persian cat. They also noted the toilet paper mess in the bathroom, but decided that it was a small price to pay for not having Chairman stare at them every time they were close.

Yes, Chairman Meow reflected, he did like his warlock. And if having Alec around all the time meant he could see Church regularly, he could like Alec as well. Chairman knew that Magnus was much happier than usual when Alec was here, and he could tell that they loved each other very much. He had the feeling that Magnus would do anything for Alec, and vice versa. Surely that was love. If that wasn't, what was?

Alec makes Magnus happy, and Alec was extraordinarily good at petting cats. Yeah, Chairman thought, I think I could keep him around here.

 **The End**

 **A/N: Please review and tell me what you thought! I accept constructive criticism, but no flames please.**


	2. Church

**A/N: Aaaaaand... here it is, folks! Part 2 from Church's POV! A very special thank you to MeandI63, who requested this via review.**

Church was old, like the building he was named after. Old and wise. He'd seen everything, or at least everything worth seeing in the Institute. He'd seen Shadowhunters come and go, watched them grow and watched a few leave. But Church only ever really let himself get attached to one.

Life at the Institute got a bit monotonous after a few years. When Church was a kitten, everything had seemed so new and exciting! He had been adopted straight into the Institute and a (at least semi-)loving family of demon-slayers - Shadowhunters. The Institute was big, and full of people and shiny things.

But once Church was a few years old, all of the excitement had worn off. All of the little corners had been explored, the people were always so busy and the shiny things hurt when you touched them! Church had to resort to climbing into people's closets and playing with the contents until someone yelled at him just to break up the monotony. Church was not neglected, but he was very lonely.

When Alec came along, Church found the first human he'd ever really loved. Alec was quiet and shy, but still dangerous in the way that all the Shadowhunters were. Alec did not object to having Church on his lap when he was reading alone in the library. Alec did not mind having a cat watch him while he practiced archery. Alec was a bit like a cat himself. Church grew to trust Alec's touch, and he grew to trust Alec's bottle blue eyes.

The cat saw less of his human as the years crawled by. Alec would go out, covered in sharp shiny things, and return hours later covered in blood. And how Church hated the smell of blood! It was horrible, and he always waited in Alec's room to make sure Alec was okay after one of these "hunts". Sometimes the blood Alec was covered in would be his own, and on those days Church would have to shred several tapestries before he really felt like himself again.

Church did not mean to grow so attached to this human, this human that could easily leave one night and never come back. He himself he never left the Institute, and had no wish to. After seeing so many humans leave and come back hurt, Church supposed that the world outside was horribly dangerous. Better to stay inside where there was tuna, and soft beds, and oftentimes Alec.

One night, Church was snoozing on Alec's bed, waiting for him like usual, when he heard loud shouting coming from downstairs. Church sneaked downstairs to see what the commotion was about, and was met with the sight of Alec, being carried by the one called Jace, and bleeding heavily from numerous wounds that festered and smelled awful. Church let out an agonized mew that nobody paid attention to.

He scampered by them, hiding in the shadows so as to escape notice, and headed for the Institute's infirmary. Moments later they burst in, still supporting the unconscious Alec, and laid him down gently on one of the beds. Then all burst into complete bedlam as the entire group of Shadowhunters tried to heal Alec. Church's view of the scene was mostly obscured, as he didn't dare try to go any closer, for fear of getting stepped on.

Church heard the words "poison" and "Greater Demon", and he got worried. Nothing like this had ever happened before in his memory. What if Alec didn't heal? What if he didn't get better? What if the only human Church ever really liked died?

Then the door burst open once more, and a tall man dressed in bright colors swept into the room. He smelled like burnt sugar. To Church, he seemed like a bit of a show-off, all loud and sparkly. But Church obviously knew why he was here. Church assumed he was going to try to help make Alec better, and so Church tolerated him and stayed, even though all of his instincts were screaming "Stranger! Fight or flight!"

To Church's surprise, the tall man ordered everyone out of the room, in a smooth, commanding voice. He then sat down by Alec's bedside, shook his sleeves back and placed his hands just above Alec's gaping wounds. Blue, crackling sparks shot out of his hands.

Church yelped in anger. This man was hurting Alec! He took a leap towards them, and the man briefly glanced at him. Church stopped, shocked. His eyes looked just like a cat's. That strange sparkly man had eyes just like Church's. Church knew what his own eyes looked like, from glances in the mirrors and shiny sharp things, and these eyes were just the same. They were golden and green, with slits for pupils.

The cat was extremely wary of this strange cat-eyed person, but, Alec wasn't dying, and the wounds looked to be closing, so Church could stay quiet for now.

Hours passed, and the man kept working. Church eventually dozed, there on the hard infirmary floor. He was awoken by the early morning sun pouring through the windows. The man was collapsed in the bedside chair, sleeping. Alec was sleeping as well, and he looked to be healed.

Church watched as the Shadowhunter and the- well, he must be a warlock, he had magic- stirred in their sleep, both starting to wake up from the bright rays of morning sunshine. The warlock woke first, yawned and stretched, and made his way back into the main area of the Institute.

Alec opened his eyes blearily-he looked weak, and not at all well rested. Alec propped himself up on one elbow and winced. "Magnus?" he asked, half-whispering, and with his voice cracking on the end. "Magnus Bane?"

 _Magnus_. Church didn't know anyone by that name so he must mean the warlock who had healed Alec. Well, wherever Magnus Bane was, he wasn't in this room. Alec realized this, a second later and laid back down on the hard infirmary bed, wincing again. He looked to still be in pain.

Church observed that it would not be worth his efforts to try and ask for petting. Alec was asleep, or would be in several seconds. With one last glance to confirm that Alec was not going to die, and would be all right, Church left the infirmary and headed back upstairs to Alec's bedroom to sleep. But he did not forget the sparkly warlock named Magnus Bane.

The next time the cat really thought about Magnus was a couple days later, on a Friday. Alec was fully recovered, but not going out on a hunt that evening. Church idly wondered why – the ones called Jace and Izzy were going. Alec, instead of strapping sharp things to his body, was trying on the same two shirts over and over and muttering to himself. Church caught a few of the words.

"He likes my eyes, better go with the blue one. That will attract attention, maybe wear the black one. But he likes my eyes"- and over and over again. Alec also smelled funny, like Izzy's perfumes that she often left on the bathroom counter and that Church hated the smell of. They were just one more reason to avoid the bathroom. Alec's smelled slightly different, like spice, but he was sweating so much from nervousness that it was hardly noticeable.

Alec looked at his watch and tripped over his feet. "By the Angel!" he cursed. "Wish me luck, Church!"

Church barely had time to mew at him before he was out the door and gone. Shadowhunters – they were always so _fast_.

Alec came back before midnight, quite early for him. This was yet another reason to suspect he had not been hunting, although there was a whiff of demon blood about him that suggested otherwise. Also – Church paused to sniff – wolf. And Alec was wearing a different shirt than before.

However, Alec looked the happiest Church had ever seen him in his whole life. He petted Church far into the night, into the wee hours of the morning, and he never stopped smiling. Church didn't know where Alec had been that night, but he knew that Alec needed to go there more often! As Church was drifting off to sleep, he caught one last scent from Alec – a whiff of burnt sugar.

With that, Church knew exactly where Alec had been that night.

Church reflected upon his predicament as he lay in the box. He was being taken outside, that was for sure, and to where he didn't know. Alec had just scooped him up one early afternoon, out of the blue, and placed him in the box. Church hadn't even had time to fight it – that Shadowhunter speed again! – and he sincerely hoped he wasn't going anyplace dangerous.

Like on a hunt, for instance. Church did not fancy the idea of going back to the Institute covered in blood, whether it was his own or someone else's. Gross.

His box had a hole cut into the side, through which he was supplied with air and light. He peeked out, and could see Alec. He complained loudly.

"Don't worry, we're nearly there," Alec said comfortingly. In typical New York fashion, no one paid any attention to a guy dressed all in black, walking down the street and talking to a box. What Church wondered was where "there" was.

That question was soon answered when, after entering a building and climbing several sets of stairs, Alec let Church out of the box and into a colour explosion of an apartment. Seriously, this apartment was so sparkly and colourful; it looked like the inside of a rainbow. There was no mistaking who this apartment belonged to. It had to be Magnus.

Alec and Magnus were talking and Church was staring at the decor when he approached a teeny tiny grey fur ball. The smaller cat seemed to treat Church with an air of mild hostility. Church couldn't imagine why. He sniffed the cat and asked for his name.

"Chairman Meow, cat of the High Warlock of Brooklyn. And you are?"

"I'm Church, cat of the Institute, but Alec's cat mostly."

At this, Chairman Meow visibly relaxed. He became a lot friendlier and offered to show Church around the spacious apartment. They had a grand time all afternoon. Church learned several new ways to play with toilet paper, but more importantly, he gained a friend. They even took a nap together, curled up on Magnus' bright yellow sofa.

When it was time to go, Church was no longer apprehensive of the box, but he was reluctant to leave Chairman. They promised to see each other again when their busy schedules allowed it.

Church went home with Alec that evening, but not before Alec and Magnus had noted how cute they looked playing together, the tiny grey tabby and the giant Persian cat. They also noted the toilet paper mess in the bathroom, but decided that it was a small price to pay for not having Chairman stare at them every time they were close.

After that, Church learned that the world outside the Institute was not all that scary. It could be quite nice, actually. The world was not completely full of nasty stuff and blood and sharp shiny things. The world had tuna and nice people too, and more importantly, the world had Chairman Meow.

Church noticed that Alec was so much happier ever since he had met Magnus Bane, and that what Alec and Magnus had was special. One could even say once-in-a-lifetime.

They made each other happy, and their cats liked each other. What could be better than that?

 **The End**

 **A/N: Reviews are love!**


	3. Max

**A/N: Hello lovely people! Over the last few weeks, I have been toying with the idea of making a third part of He Makes Magnus Happy. I absolutely loved writing the previous two chapters, and while I've been working on other stories that I love, my mind kept returning to this one.**

 **My writing style has changed quite a bit since last year, when chapter 2 came out, but I've tried to re-create the feeling of this story for you today - and I have to admit, it's been a lot of fun.**

 **Thank you all for every review and favourite and follow you gave me. This is one of my most viewed stories (at time of publishing this, it has 3.5k views!) and I hope you wonderful people enjoy this final part.**

 **Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing.**

Chairman Meow, while being a relatively young cat, had probably seen more odd things in his short lifetime than most old cats had in their much longer ones. His warlock, Magnus, had people – and beings that were decidedly not people – come to his apartment all the time. Chairman, watching from his hiding places, had seen many unusual things take place on his territory. He had seen fey, who made him uneasy; vampires, who felt threatening; and werewolves, whose smell resembled dogs. Chairman _hated_ dogs, but could usually contain himself and hide until they were gone.

It was all part of being a warlock's cat, which was a job that Chairman handled with a great deal of pride. He liked his warlock quite a lot, and recently, he liked the Shadowhunter who he had also come to view as his.

Whatever big fight both the warlock and the Shadowhunter had been in was over. The nights where they would both stumble in, covered in blood, were less frequent. Instead, they walked in looking as tired as they had been when they had blood all over. Chairman counted the absence of wounds a big success, and felt hopeful to go back to some semblance of normalcy, or, as normal as living with a warlock can get.

That was a hope that lasted until Magnus and Alec came back one night with a _child_.

It wasn't a human child, that's for sure. It wasn't a Shadowhunter one either, as Chairman knew by the lack of the tang of blood that would hover near it. See, the only Shadowhunters Chairman Meow had encountered were almost constantly spattered with demon blood. No, this child couldn't be a Shadowhunter.

This child had the distinct smell of burnt sugar – the smell of mystery, of intrigue, of magic.

This child was also blue. And he had horns.

Chairman was almost certain the child was a warlock.

Magnus and Alec had been away for _ages_ , and Chairman had been alone so long, with only his magically refilling food and water dishes for company. He really was an uncommonly companionable cat, at least when it came to Magnus and Alec, so to have them back and having barely any attention for him was _shocking_.

All of their attention was going to this new child, who as far as Chairman could tell, didn't really do much. He just needed to be fed, and he slept, and cried. Chairman could agree with the feeding and the sleeping, and if it was just that, he was sure that he and the blue child would be the best of friends.

But the crying! It was all the time, and so loud! The child only stopped when he was asleep or given attention, and so Chairman experienced a lot of the same emotion he had felt upon first seeing Alec. He thinks it might be jealousy.

The child's name was Max. Chairman Meow knew that well enough, it was a word often repeated in varying tones when the people spoke to him. Sometimes the tone was pleading, sometimes tired, and sometimes the tone was happy, but always loving. It was clear that Magnus and Alec were simply infatuated with this warlock child, and Chairman had been booted down to second place.

As the days went by, Chairman found himself being forced to spend more time in close proximity to the child than he really thought necessary. Max's room, formerly Magnus' spare room, had always been a very quiet place, and still was when Max was sleeping. Chairman thought it a very good napping spot, and was not about to give up his territory.

Besides, it was the only quiet place in the house when all those demon hunters came to visit.

Oh, and how they loved Max. Especially the female one that looked like Alec, she was simply _obsessed_ with him. Chairman, having previously had a sort of respect for this one, was disgusted. This baby was like human catnip. They couldn't get enough.

Even the older ones, who had only visited once or twice before, and who weren't really cat petters always went crazy over this child. Chairman needed to find out exactly what it was that was so special about him, not to be petty or anything. He was just curious, as cats are.

And so it was that one night, Chairman Meow dared to approach the den of the child.

He crept in through a crack in the door, keeping low to the ground so as not to attract Magnus and Alec's attention. Wouldn't want them coming in and picking him up, not when he was so close to finding out this child's secret.

The bed he slept in was raised off the ground, which had never made any sense to Chairman. Any respectable bed was on the floor, for easy nap access at any time of the day. Why bother climbing so high up just to sleep at night? Humans and warlocks made no sense.

It had bars on the side, which was smart for the climbing part. Chairman was up the bars and staring at Max in no time flat.

He still didn't get it. There was nothing remotely special about how the baby slept, either. Max's breathing was soft and even, eyelashes brushing over his round baby cheeks, hands grasping at his duck-patterned baby blanket, a gift from the tall girl demon hunter. Maybe the big creatures all considered him cute? It was possible, yes. Maybe he was cute.

Chairman looked closer, leaning in, holding onto the bars, peering at Max. Until-

 _Clang!_ The bars of the high bed slipped down, depositing Chairman on the floor, the loud noise waking Max up and starting the crying again.

Alec rushed in before Chairman could recover or even move, immediately picking Max up and shushing him, looking tired but on alert for any possible threat. His sharp eyes found the cat on the floor.

"Oh, Chairman, why are you in here?" Alec sighed, scooping up the cat in his free arm. "Now you've gone and woke him up."

Chairman _almost_ felt bad, but Max wasn't nearly as loud now, just sniffling from the startle, and Alec's arms were warm and cozy. He nuzzled into them fondly.

The door cracked open a bit more, Magnus entering out of worry. He stopped short when he saw his fiancé in the middle of the room, the streak of moonlight coming through the curtains illuminating his face, a baby in one arm and a cat in the other. Strangely, this was one of those times when the angel's blood in Alec really showed itself.

Magnus crept into the room, taking Max and setting him in the crib, and gently putting Chairman on the bed before embracing Alec.

Chairman didn't mind too much. He supposed Alec needed his own cuddles every once in a while.

The next day, Alec arrived back at the apartment with a large box. If not for the familiar scent coming from it, Chairman would be running for one of the cupboards, knowing he was going somewhere. As it was, he had no need to worry.

"Hello, kitten," Church said, stepping out of the box as dignified as he could, with these circumstances.

"Hey, Church!" Chairman mewed, moving closer to his friend. "Any reason for coming?"

"Can't a cat just want to see his friend?"

"And you managed to tell Alec that?"

"Izzy" – ah, the black-fur girl – "Izzy said to bring me over. Something about you and a warlock child."

Chairman mewed in annoyance. "It's like they got another cat! They can't get enough of him!"

"Am I a _distraction,_ Chairman?"

"...maybe."

They ended up in the living room, lazily observing Alec and Max playing on the other side of the room. Max had a wall around him with a little gate, and toys inside. This was to keep him from moving away, as he really was an adventurous little kitten – _child._

"I don't see it either," Church remarked. "Why the attention?"

"Right?" Chairman agreed, grateful for his friend.

A vibration hit the air, one both of them knew well. Alec's phone was ringing. He stood up quickly and left the room to take it, which could only mean that he was going to be angry. He cast a worried glance at Max as he left, stepping into the kitchen just around the corner.

Chairman looked at Max too, and well he did. Max was taking the opportunity to fiddle with the latch on the little fenced pen, and it swung open quickly.

He almost let Max scoot away. Almost. It would have been so easy to just let him go away, he couldn't go far anyway – but no, Chairman knew how worried Alec would be if he came back and Max was out of sight. He couldn't do that to Alec!

The cats moved almost as one, cutting Max off just outside the plastic gate. He was distracted by their swishing tails, eyes moving faster than his tiny blue hands could, following them back and forth.

They had to do something. Alec wasn't talking angrily anymore, but their ears picked up on Magnus' voice, and they knew both Magnus and Alec would be in the room at any moment!

Chairman crept by Max, hoping to distract him with one of the shiny baby toys inside. His glance was caught by something that definitely looked squeaky. He had to. He pounced.

Max's attention was caught by the squeak, and he flopped over into a horizontal position, back into the toy pen. Church nudged the gate closed, and retreated to an armchair, settling into it comfortably.

He supposed the child was safe, but now Chairman was in the pen with him!

Church looked _amused._ Ugh. Couldn't he see the predicament Chairman Meow had gotten into?

Max lay down, still focused on the cat, and suddenly looked so very, very tired.

He reached out with his tiny blue palm, and carefully patted Chairman's head, bold, not nervous at all.

Oh. _Oh._ Chairman hadn't even considered that this little baby could be a petter. That changed his opinion drastically, in the blink of an eye.

Smoothly, careful not to disturb the hand still resting on his body, the cat lay down by the child.

Chairman's green, slit-pupil eyes held the attention of Max's round blue ones. They weren't so different after all. They both wanted the same things – food, cuddles, and lots of sleep. And Alec and Magnus did provide all of those things, really. Yeah, they were both pretty well off.

Max didn't seem the slightest bit scared, staring into the Chairman's eyes. He was transfixed by the colour.

Chairman Meow knew that eventually, the novelty would wear off and Max would be a fixed member of the household. But that wasn't so bad. Kittens always yowled a lot, if Chairman's far-off memories of his litter were anything to go by. Max was a tolerable child. Yes, Chairman could adapt to Max too.

On the other side of the room, unnoticed as yet by both cat and child, Magnus and Alec stood side by side. They watched silently as the Chairman and Max stared at each other, both peaceful, and they watched them both drop off into sleep.

"Do you think the Chairman will be okay with Max?" Alec whispered, so as not to disturb them.

"Let's hope he will," Magnus answered in the same hushed voice, his tone playful. "Cause you know, Alec, I never keep anyone around that my cat doesn't like."

 **The (Real) End**


End file.
